The Book of Uncle Ken

Old Dog, I'm pretty sure that Uncle Ken is not talking about the Biblical story of original sin.  He seems to be writing his own version of it, or maybe he is speaking about it in a metaphorical sense.  I believe his inspiration came from the dead deer picture that I posted the other day, for which I have already apologized.  Our local newspaper printed such pictures for decades, but then somebody complained and they stopped doing it.  I understand that pictures like that can be disturbing to some people and, within reason, we should respect their sensibilities.

There has been lots of discussion about the predator-prey relationship over the years by scientists, theologians, philosophers, and storytellers.  Probably my favorite comes from the Native American tradition: When the Great Spirit created the animals, he gave them all tools to help them survive, but Man seemed to have been shortchanged in that respect.  He was not as swift as some of the others, his teeth and claws were not efficient weapons, and he didn't have enough hair to keep him warm in the winter.  The other creatures took pity on Man and promised to provide him with gifts that would help him survive.  When a hunter kills a deer, for example, the Deer Spirit is giving up a part of himself to help the hunter and his family survive.  All the Deer Spirit asks in return is the gratitude and respect of the hunter and his people, which some of us express by sprinkling a small offering of tobacco on the ground even unto this day.

I am allowed to take two more deer this season, but I think I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.  Perhaps out of deference to my advanced age, the Deer Spirit kindly allowed me to drop this deer in the middle of the clearing instead of having to drag it out of the swamp to a place where I could pick it up with my tractor.  Even so, I was totally exhausted by the time I got it hung up in the barn and skinned.  I started processing the meat today and, the way I work, it will be three more days before I get it all cut up and in the freezer.  I have taken two deer in one season twice in the past, but I was a lot younger in those days.  "You know when you're old when work is not as much fun as it used to be, fun is a lot more work than it used to be, and it takes you longer to rest up than it took you to get tired." - source forgotten